Historic slam lifts Yanks

ATLANTA - Alex Rodriguez took a grand swing into the record books Tuesday night and now stands shoulder to shoulder with Lou Gehrig.

Rodriguez hit his 23rd grand slam, matching the Hall of Famer's record, as the New York Yankees scored six runs in the eighth inning in a 6-4 win over Atlanta.

Nick Swisher hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Cory Gearrin two batters after Rodriguez connected against Jonny Venters (3-3).

The Yankees had been 10-for-67 (.149) with the bases loaded this season before Rodriguez hit his tying shot. Minutes later, Rodriguez paused to savor his shared place with Gehrig in baseball history.

"It means a lot," said Rodriguez, who had been 1-for-10 with the bases loaded this season. "It's very special. This game is very, very difficult. If you're not going to enjoy these great moments, then it's not any fun. Lou Gehrig is not only one of the all-time greats, but he's one of ours."

The Yankees matched their season high with a fifth straight win and moved into sole possession of first in the American League East when Tampa Bay lost to the Mets.

CC Sabathia (8-3) left trailing 4-0 after seven innings but was the beneficiary of the rally. The big lefty gave up four runs on a season-high 10 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.